Pak vs Aus: Usman Khawaja misses century for Australia in first Test

RAWALPINDI: As Australia made a solid response to Pakistan on the third day of the first Test in Rawalpindi, opener Usman Khawaja expressed his disappointment at missing out on what would have been a “memorable hundred” in his birth nation.

With Australia on 271-2, trailing Pakistan by 205 runs with eight wickets remaining after the home team declared Saturday at 476-4, the play was halted by bad light and then rain.

With rain anticipated for the next two days, a result is uncertain. Marnus Labuschagne was on 69 and Steve Smith was on 24, but a result is unlikely.

If Khawaja had scored his 11th Test century in Pakistan, where he was born in 1986 before his parents fled to Australia, it would have been a remarkable day.

“It was a bit disappointing,” said Khawaja, who was caught on 97.

“You come to the change room and feel worse than getting a 20 in some respects.”

Imam-ul-Haq gloved a reverse sweep off left-arm spinner Nauman Ali and caught the left-hander at forward short leg.

Although umpire Aleem Dar declared him not out, Pakistan was awarded the wicket after a review.

“My family would have been watching back home… my wife too, who is pregnant with our second child,” said Khawaja.

“But if you put that in perspective, then I was not in the Australian team two months ago so I am very grateful and happy that I have contributed to the team’s total in the end.”

Khawaja’s 219-minute innings featured 15 boundaries, and he put on 156 for the first wicket with David Warner, who scored an appealing 68.

Warner was bowled by off-spinner Sajid Khan in the eighth over after lunch when he missed a square drive.

In the morning session, the pair scored more than four runs per over, in contrast to Pakistan’s first innings, which lasted two days and 162 overs.

With little spin and no reverse swing, Pakistan’s seam bowling pair and three slow bowlers found the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium ground as unresponsive as the tourists did on the first two days when only four wickets fell.

Pakistan had only themselves to blame for failing to make a critical breakthrough, as Khawaja was dropped twice by the hosts due to sloppy fielding.

Warner’s wicket, according to Sajid, was a significant one.

“He always bats well against Pakistan so I set him up and got him,” he said.

“We weren’t bothered when they batted so fast and stuck to our plans.”

Nonetheless, Labuschagne, the world’s number one-hitter in Tests, picked up where Usman Khawaja and Warner had left off, smashing nine beautiful boundaries.

He and Smith have put on a third-wicket stand of 68.

Australia is touring Pakistan for the first time since 1998, after previously refusing to do so due to security concerns.

The second Test will take place in Karachi from March 12 to 16, and the third will take place in Lahore from March 21 to 25.

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